Australian diplomats frustrated nuclear weapons ban

Philip Dorling

Australian diplomats worked behind the scenes to frustrate and defeat a global nuclear disarmament campaign, arguing it was not in the nation's security interests.

Declassified ministerial submissions, cables and emails from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade also show that following the election of the Abbott government, Australia took the lead in diplomatic attempts to frustrate a New Zealand-led initiative highlighting the humanitarian consequences of nuclear war.

In October 2013, according to the documents released under freedom-of-information law, Australia refused a request by New Zealand to endorse a 125-nation joint statement at the United Nations highlighting the humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons.''

Australia objected to a sentence declaring that it is in the interest of humanity that nuclear weapons are never used again, ''under any circumstances''.

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A group of 16 nations, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, South Africa and New Zealand, have been working to highlight the humanitarian effects of nuclear weapons.

That diplomatic campaign is intended to lay the ground for negotiation of a convention that would prohibit nuclear weapons - putting them in the same category as chemical and biological weapons, which are already prohibited under international law.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said last month this approach was counterproductive.

''[The] argument 'to ban the bomb' may be emotionally appealing, but the reality is that disarmament cannot be imposed this way.

''Just pushing for a ban would divert attention from the sustained, practical steps needed for effective disarmament.''

However, declassified documents have revealed that the government's primary concern is that a nuclear weapons ban would ''cut across'' Australia's reliance on US nuclear deterrence.

A department submission endorsed by Ms Bishop last October argued that a ban ''conflicts with Australia's long-standing position that, as long as a nuclear weapons threat exists, we rely on US nuclear forces to deter nuclear attack on Australia''.

In an email Foreign Affairs and Trade head Peter Varghese said the New Zealand-led humanitarian initiative ''runs against our security interests''.

Australia lobbied the countries but failed to persuade New Zealand to remove the assertion that nuclear weapons could not be used ''under any circumstances''.

Australia's diplomacy also suffered a blow when Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida agreed to sign the statement.